I think Wordsworth’s Ode is about maturity and the process of forgetting. Wordsworth regrets the idea that children have a fantastical sense of heaven and the greatness that is endured before birth; however, as aging maturity occurs this sixth sense quickly fades.
To me did seem
Appareled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream
It is not now as it hath been of yore
Turn whereso’er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.
The “celestial light” represents the understanding and knowledge that a child possesses. Yet, that “light” has faded as “it is not now as it hath been of yore” because through aging one forgets this innate knowledge. No longer can the speaker delight in what he once knew as “the things which I have seen I now can see no more.” However, the speaker resolves that through memory he can still delight in what he found wonderful as a child because age brings wisdom and other knowledge that children do not have. At first, Wordsworth does not understand the rush for maturity and the adult world as he gazes at a young boy who he refers to as a “little actor” because he pretends to be engaged in a “wedding or a festival.” Wordsworth later understands why the child pretends to partake in such adult activities; because through age great understanding can be achieved and knowledge is not solely reserved for the young.
2 comments:
As Lilly has said, this poem deals a lot with how a sense of glory and "celestial light" that is with young children fades as they grow older. Wordsworth gives us a nice image illustrating the sense of heaven, or immortality:
Our Souls have sight of that immortal sea
Which brought us hither
Can in a moment travel thither,
And see the Children sport upon the shore,
And hear the mighty waters rolling evermore.
In this way, we are all connected to "that immortal sea" that we came from, even though it doesn't stay with us fully throughout all our lives.
The last stanza was one of my favorites because it showed how, even though he is too old to experience the celestial light in the way he once did, the speaker still can appreciate the natural world and the human heart and "its tenderness, its joys, and fears." Even though he is not as close to that sea of immortality as he once was, he still realizes the value of being human in every stage of life as well as the beauty of the world around him.
I agree with both Lily and Erin in the fact that the meat of this poem is looking at two stages of life, youth and adulthood and comparing the relationship on a variety of issues. Woodsworth is exploring "the glory and the dream" that a young person has as a result of feeling immortal and being of innocent nature. He say's "the things which I have seen I now can see no more," meaning he does not have the hopeful, optimistic, innocent and immortal eyes that he used to have when he was young. He now has the perspective of an older, more mature, experienced person who knows of pain and suffering as well as happiness and joy. The "something that is gone" is his perspective on life. He feels that "heaven lies about us in our infancy" and when a person matures and reaches adulthood they move away from that heaven to the reality of life which at first he looks at as a negative. He cannot understand why a child would want to rush into adulthood, "with newly-learned art" (immitading adultlike behaviors) and not enjoy the peace and innocence that comes with being young and inexperienced.
What is interesting with this poem is at the end of the poem he comes to the realization that experience with suffering, pain, fear and all the negative emotions humans are forced to face throughout their lifetime makes them appreciate the emotions of happiness and joy as well as appreciate the beautiful nature in the world around them. He confirms this by saying, "thanks to the human heart by which we live, thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears, to me the meanest flower that blows can give thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears."
My favorite part of the poem is Verse 6, especially the ending where it says, "forget the glories he hath known, and that imperial palace whence he came." This palace and glory refers to the perspective of a young person on the world.
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